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How to Get Over the Holiday Blues

15 Feb 2017

I think we can all agree: travelling is one of the best things you can do. Whether that's exploring a hidden nook of your own country, a European mini break or that life-changing trip around the world. It's the eve of unforgettable adventures such as these that get us shaking with excitement. But what happens when it's all over and we return home? If you're anything like me, it's sometimes a struggle to return to normality without overthinking about where I've just been and the fact I'm no longer there. Instead, we should be taking the positives from such life experiences, instead of getting down. But how? Here are my top tips for getting over those holiday blues:

Reminisce over the best bits

I always find it's good to look through your travel photos as soon as you return, to bring back those feel-good memories. While it's never ideal to look at them for too long, I find it's always good to transform your photos into a permanent fixture in your home – whether that's a photo book, a canvas for your wall or even a wallpaper on your smartphone. Then, they can serve as the perfect escape when you're experiencing cabin fever and will also allow your friends and family to daydream when they visit you, too!

Make every day an adventure

Just because your travels abroad have finished, it doesn't mean the excitement can't continue. Take a look at exactly what it is about travelling that you enjoy the most and try and bring it into your daily routine. If it's the aura of being a free spirit, then tear up the monotony and mix it up by planning new experiences on the fly to make your weekends or evenings exciting. If you love immersing yourself in a country's culture, then bring it into your home. Cook your favourite meals from your trip and visit an ethnic supermarket, so you can get a feel for the ingredients involved. Soundtrack your evenings with music from your travels and why not seek out museums holding exhibitions from the country's culture? And of course, you can get your friends involved too – hold a themed party. Whether it's an all-American food and drink night or an Australian barbecue afternoon, it's entirely up to you. As soon as you get into the mindset that your travels can continue at home, you'll begin to feel they'll never truly end.

Explore home - this Lake District landscape could easily be Australia or the USA

Travel your own country

Even though you're back in Old Blighty, you can still travel. Why not inject some of that adventurous spirit into exploring what's on your doorstep? Just because it may feel like familiar territory, there's probably a wealth of hidden treasures you don't even know about worth exploring. I'm a huge advocate for travelling your own country and I find there's always something new just around the corner if you look for it – a secret green wilderness, a history-laden landmark or a quirky restaurant you've never taken the time to dine in, for example. Take a look and you'll be really surprised at how much there is around you. I always choose to plot them as a number of day trips throughout the year. That way, you'll be thankful for the constant drip feed of new experiences and be inspired on a more regular basis.

Of course, it's not just what you see when you're back home, but also who you see. Your friends are an important cog in your home life and therefore crucial to you feeling, well, more at home and will help stave off any sadness you might be feeling. And, to help amplify you're country's new-found box of secrets, take your mates with you – that's what makes the best kind of adventures.

Plan your next trip

It sounds obvious (and you probably don't need an excuse), but the best antidote to get over your most recent trip is to… keep on travelling! Even if you're not planning to head anywhere soon, get planning – the positive vibes you have from doing your research and eyeing up the next destination will only serve you well. Leafing through guidebooks, sticking pins in maps and spinning your atlas until your fingers fixes on a piece of land are all good ways to get those travel juices flowing again. And if your mind is always thinking about your next destination, then you're never really not travelling. Plus, the more you travel, the better you'll get at adapting to your home life when you return. Surely that's a win-win?

Beat the holiday blues and plan your next trip! Make an appointment with one of our Travel Experts to get the ideas flowing.

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Once a roving newshound now turned travel journo, my passions include seeking out cultural hotspots amid skyscrapers, hearing the calls of wildlife on rainforest walks and trudging round the UK's national parks. I love to knit together my interests in football and tennis with the travelling world, while furiously trying to close the gap on my glaring film knowledge.